A question I was pondering over the weekend...

[Slar]

Why has Katrina totally dropped off the political map? Or is there discussion on this that I'm not hearing?

In my mind, the pathetic response of government at all levels (trying to avoid the blame arguments) deserves a political spotlight for years. I'd like to see a real concerted effort to clean house and develop real answers to very real problems.

Here in CE/P land we're still debating the 2004 presidential election. In Congress for the next three weeks they'll be discussing a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

Are people just tired of discussing it? It the political landscape so desolate that it's just not worth bringing it up again?

[purple_octopus]

I haven't recently heard about the tsunami that killed over a quarter million people either. Or the earthquake in Pakistan that killed almost 90,000 people.

[seafoamgreen]

I think there's a lull right now. I hear it come up every so often now by democratic politicians. I'd expect to hear more in the coming months as election races start to heat up.

[twentyshots]

the story still has legs in the big picture because hurricane season just began again, and Nagin recently was reelected (unfortunately). Katrina is certainly important for many reasons but the speed at which the adminstration is fucking other stuff up has pushed it aside. that's my guess......

......and i would be remiss if i did not say the media has moved on as well.

[Duemellon]

You're frustrated b/c we're talking about the 2004 elections & gay marriage, but don't think 9/11 won't be resurrected.

That's a curious point made, all the same Slar.

[frizgolf]

I haven't recently heard about the tsunami that killed over a quarter million people either. Or the earthquake in Pakistan that killed almost 90,000 people.
There ya go.
If it's not in xx% of John Q. Public's back yard, it ain't newsworthy enough to keep ratings up. Natural disasters happen, and will again.
That's not to dismiss this political hot potato at all.
News is a business. Katrina news no longer attracts advertisers.

[REMgirl]

Well, I'm sort of a newshound, and Katrina is still abuzz on some levels. Every night last week, Brian Williams of NBC news broadcast from New Orleans, showing the progress or lack of progress in cleaning up the city.

There was also more news about the structure of the dams and levees being rebuilt.

News is constantly changing. Nothing stays on the front page forever. Unfortunately, Katrina news probably would have faded even faster if there hadn't been so much controversy about how the emergency was handled on so many levels.

People in general have short attentions spans. Now that we have constant news access from all over the world, we're bombarded by stories about the war, natural disasters, and politics every day. We hear about disasters overseas and we are asked to send money for victims of disaster all over the place. I think people got burned out by it. Many Americans think we should only spend relief money on our own citizens, and tune out pleas for help from other countries.

It's going to be interesting to see what happens when the first hurricanes of the season start moving around Florida and the Gulf again. I wonder how people are going to respond to warnings, and if local governments have spent any time and money on evacuation practices. That's where Katrina is going to make a big difference.

[markalot]

IMO we haven't heard a lot about Katrina because the people in charge, the local officials, are primarily to blame and that's just not very exciting. The charges of racism and the like just didn't pan out when it became apparent how bad FEMA was run into the ground. That plus I think people finally realized that the only way to be safe from a hurricane is to get out of the way.

The Army Corps of Engineers has recently taken the blame for building faulty levees.

Nagin, who failed to implement the evacuation plan, got re-elected.

[DaHood]

I suppose you people don't even know that Taylor Hicks is the new American Idol. :rolleyes:
Try listening to the news that matters like everyone else in the country is doing.
:p

[Slar]

Easy stuff to fix, compared to some other issues, but low on the priority list when we have the important business of banning gay marriage to occupy our time.Fixed that for you.

[The Big Crunch]

t depends on where you get your news from. I read the Washington Post just about every day, and listen to a LOT of NPR and both "All Things Considered" and "Morning Edition" still do almost daily reports on recovery efforts. NPR has stated numerous times that it is one of the most important stories of the century (thus far) and they refuse to let it become a forgotten piece of yesterday's news. Stories of the recovery efforts appear in the Post numerous times a week.

[george]

As others have pointed out, it depends on your news sources. NPR, CNN, Washington Post, and New York Times have had a lot of stories in the past week or two with the start of the new hurricane season.

The Post also had this one (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/31/AR2006053101205.html) about New Orleans sinking at a faster rate than previously believed.

[Slar]

News attention aside, why is the Senate debating gay marriage this week? Are Republicans hoping to continue to ride the coat-tails of the 2004 election and try to ignore the real issues?

Perhaps this is an early campaign strategy. "Look, we tried to make this a constitutional amendment, but such and such person voted against it!"

*gasps from audience*

[markalot]

That's it! Start having gay marriages in New Orleans. Genius!

[markalot]

News attention aside, why is the Senate debating gay marriage this week? Are Republicans hoping to continue to ride the coat-tails of the 2004 election and try to ignore the real issues?

Perhaps this is an early campaign strategy. "Look, we tried to make this a constitutional amendment, but such and such person voted against it!"

*gasps from audience*

That is exactly what they are doing. Incredible, isn't it? I really hope it backfires.

[DaHood]

That's it! Start having gay marriages in New Orleans. Genius!Brilliant!!

[noonan]

FYI: Barbaro's condition remains stable as he paces his stall and eats really big carrots (http://www.cleveland.com/sports/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/114949647964930.xml&coll=2)

[monkey neck]

Katrina is one of the dems favorite things to talk about. Joe Biden couldn't resist talking about it in the same breath as gay marriage on Meet the Press on Sunday morning.

We'll be hearing plenty about it again come November and whenever the dems nominate their stooge for president. All they're going to say is Iraq, Katrina, Katrina, Iraq, Abu Ghraib, Katrina.

[jcarwash31]

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty rolled out this beauty on friday after receiving the party's endorsement for a re-election bid.

"Now I know I may not be in some of your wildest dreams but I can tell you what your worst nightmare is," Pawlenty told delegates at his party's state convention. "It's one of the big spendin', tax raisin', abortion promotin', gay marriage embracin', more-welfare-without-accountability lovin', school-reform resistin', illegal-immigration supportin' Democrats for governor who thinks Hillary Clinton should be president of the United States."